Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Thank You Engr. Francisco!

This column sincerely thanks Engr. Efren Francisco, Engr. III of the DPWH, Aklan Engi-neering District for his rapid action on my request.

There was a big mud hole on Roxas Avenue, Kalibo which remained unattended for months. I requested the DPWH to fill up the hole. I was referred to Engr. Francisco. And presto, the mudhole was filled up with sand and gravel.

Thank you Engr. Francisco for the swift action on the request.

WB May Release Controversial

Bid-rigging Report

Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero Thursday, last week (Friday in Manila) met with ranking procurement officials of the World Bank (WB). He discussed with them the procurement processes and the possible official release to the Senate of the organization’s report on the alleged bid-rigging of road projects in the Philippines.

"It was a productive and enlightening meeting," Escudero said in a statement. The senator was in Washington D.C. on a private visit to attend the four-day 47th National Prayer Breakfast event.

Escudero, as told by Judee Aguilar met for an hour with Shaun Moss, the Regional Procurement Manager of the Central Operational Service Unit in the East Asia and Pacific Region; Ben Gericke, Senior Transport Engineer; and Senior Operations Officer Steve Charles Burgess at the World Bank headquarters.

The WB, he said, was considering the release of the report to the Senate, which is now investigating the blacklisting of three Filipino construction firms from the Bank’s future projects.

Escudero is chair of the committee of constitutional amendments and revision on codes and laws. He has scheduled for February 17 the first hearing on proposed amendments to the current government procurement law.

He said the officials told him that they will find out if the Bank’s internal rules will allow the release of the official report to the Senate. As a matter of rule, the World Bank only officially deals with the country’s Depart-ment of Finance.

"I will know by next week if this is possible," he said.

The senator also said he and the WB procurement officers exchanged notes on procurement processes, particularly on matters relating to foreign-funded projects.

"The WB officials said they will provide me a copy of their proposed amendments to our procurement code. We can use this as guidance from a third party looking in, considering that they are present all over the globe. They have valuable insights and experience to share with us," Escudero related.

The WB is in "full support" of the procurement reform bill, which Escudero filed soon after he became senator in 2007. The bill aims to strengthen and improve safeguards in the govern-ment’s procurement system.

If this WB report is available in Malacañang and Department of Finance, why wait for the WB to release it?

Roxas: Barin Should Resign Now

Securities and Ex-change Commission Chairperson Fe Barin and her subordinates who failed to stop the bleeding of the pre-need industry should now resign or be axed, Senator Mar Roxas revealed last week.

"They should resign now. Or being appointees of GMA, they should be sacked," he said a day after the hearing of the Senate trade committee, which he chairs, on the state of the pre-need industry. /MP